Benn wins by default in 'debate of decade'

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The Debate of . the Decade' on the future of the left' was held in the Methodist Central Hall on St. Patricks Day.

It was largely an old boys and girls reunion from the days of the 1960s demos. But its form and content had much to show of the changes in the political balance since that time, and of the political problems for socialists now.

Audrey Wise There were many mani festations in the meeting of l oW not to go about achieving the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of socialism.

: Hecklers Perhaps the clearest case of this were the ultra-left hecklers from the RCT and others who simply concentrated on denouncing the reformists and denouncing every other participant for not following their example in ignorng the discussion and sımpıy makıng propaganda on such issues as Irish political prisoners.

A more sophisticated version of the same position was certainly present. on the platform of the meeting, and in many of the contributions.

The argument of Hilary Wainwright (together with Sheila Rowbottom; co-author of Beyond the Fragments), was that perhaps the trouble was we were trying to challenge for state power at all.

Isolated struggles

Even if we did not call ourselves reformists we. could instead concentrate on activity in small isolated struggles while being nice to one another.

Paul Foot and his supporting cast from the SWP, argued what was in effect the same thing.

The Labour Party was so rotten we could by-pass it. The union leaders were SO treacherous that we could rely only on the rank and me, wno -providing they were militant enough, and joined the SWP in large enough numbers-would be able to conquer state power.

This line was exactly what the reformists wanted Stuart Holland tried their government have begun to rattle the chains on their own penury.

British workers-in their legitimate hostility to a capitalist unity of Europe-have nothing whatsoever in common with the racist diatribe of the Express. what ineffectually to argue that there is not really any difference between reformist and revolutionary politics tianor maliting Tony Benn, however, did not need even to say that.

Cheerfully admitting that he was a reformist, Benn felt able to sneer at revolutionaries who, he said, had achieved even less for socialist' revolution than he speakil hạd in a of cabinets!

Not only was he able to get out of his responsibility for the betrayal of Labour governments but he was even able to say that in his experience workers had confidence in these governments and especially in the lefts like himself. • Since Benn's role The was never challenged except by infantile heckling or ill-conceived sectarianism, he was able to make the most clever and well-conceived contribution of the evening.

No doubt he will have won some convertsto his plea to join the Labour Party 'as individuals' on his terms.

Tariq Ali showed a dim awareness of the need for a fight to break the working class from its leadership.

However his main proposal seemed to be to set up a joint organisation with the SWP and then get affiliated to the Labour It was not difficult for Audrey Wise to ridicule this perspective and argue that she, and other reformists were fighting the right wing. She nimbly separated herself from any responsibility for their betrayals-or her own.

Clearly this was a debate won hand down by the "left' reformists on the platform.

Their failure to provide leadership for the struggles that really do exist was not raised.

Their responsibility for the policies of Callaghan and now Thatcher was not even mentioned.

The 'socialist feminists, , the 'extra-Parliamentarians' and the Pabloites had each in their own way let them off the hook.

The alternative in reality was never between fighting in the Labour Party and challenging for leadership on the one hand and building a revolutionary. leadership on the other.

It is precisely, through the daily challenge for leadership in the mass organisations that a genuine alternative can be built.